Student View

‘Your vote, your voice’

By Jillian Terry

By the time the next issue of the Gazette comes off the presses,
our home and native land could have a new leader at its helm. Or we
could be entering into a second term under the current Conservative
government. Either way, change is inevitable. Members of Parliament
will change and shift; bringing new blood into the House of Commons
that will shape the way this country is run and the decisions that
are made, affecting Canadians from coast to coast. The election
comes at an interesting time for Memorial students – we are
being asked to go to the polls smack dab in the middle of our
mid-term break, not the most opportune occasion for many of us. But
in times of potential change for our country, timing
shouldn’t matter.

There are a plethora of public and private reasons why we choose
whether or not to exercise our democratic right, but one reason
stands out among the rest – the simple fact that what you
select in a voting booth or on a mail-in ballot is your say.
It’s a permission slip for the ability to voice your opinion
about the way the country is being governed, whether your opinion
includes compliments, kudos, critiques, or complaints.

But for more than half of Canada’s post-secondary
population, the criticisms against the government of the day are
filed without even having taken the time to actively participate in
their election. It’s nothing less than unfair to expect
Members of Parliament and other government officials to adhere to
the demands of Canadian students who haven’t taken advantage
of the opportunity to vote – an opportunity simply not
offered in undemocratic societies around the world. Matrimonially,
one could sum up this argument as the “vote now or forever
hold your peace” line of reasoning.

Whether or not you are politically active by other means –
by joining a political party or non-profit organization,
protesting, writing letters to your representative in the House of
Commons – a simple vote is a cornerstone of democracy as we
know it, despite what statistics demonstrating declining voter
turnout tend to suggest.

As Canadians, we have often been moved to go to the polls. A
particularly contentious issue, a charismatic party leader, or
signs of troubling times in the national economy are all reasons
why individuals have been driven to vote in past elections. These
reasons, however, should be considered secondary to the fact that
voting is part of what makes us Canadian. It is why we study
Parliament in grade school, why we know the national anthem, and
why we can recognize the flag anywhere in the world. Voting
certainly isn’t the only way to express our citizenship, but
it certainly is an effective one.

So regardless of the timing, Oct. 14 is a day where a moment
should be spared in celebration of the freedom we share as
Canadians. By voting, you can legitimize everything positive or
negative you will have to say about the next government, by
declaring that you voted for or against them when given the chance.
Vote not as an influenced part of any alphabetically themed
campaigns, or because of a handshake you received from a party
leader in the UC – vote for yourself, as a student in
Newfoundland and Labrador, wanting to have your voice heard.
It’s the easiest way to have your say.